Female Trailblazers of US Politics: A Timeline

Published Nov 9, 2016 at 5:08 PM

Hillary Clinton, the first female presidential candidate from a major party, fell short of breaking the ultimate political glass ceiling in 2016.

But this year did see two female firsts in U.S. political history: Catherine Cortez Masto became the first Latina to serve in the Senate, and Kamala Harris became the first Indian American and second black woman elected to the Senate.

Those candidates were following in the footsteps of, among others, Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president. She made her bid almost 50 years before women even had the right to vote.

Here is a look at some of the country's female political trailblazers.